After all anti-Americanism is even more rife here than in England:
UK seeks advice of former US ‘super-cop’
More:
…
Last night, in an intervention likely to anger senior officers further, Bill Bratton, the former New York police chief who Mr Cameron said would advise the Government on how to deal with the aftermath of the riots, said young people had been “emboldened” by over-cautious police tactics and lenient sentencing policies.
Mr Bratton said a police force should have “a lot of arrows in the quiver”, advocating a doctrine of “escalating force” where weapons including rubber bullets, Tasers, pepper spray and water cannon were all available to commanders. “You want the criminal element to fear them,” Mr Bratton said…
As for the Canadian criminal justice system, riot section:
Days away from the two-month anniversary of Vancouver’s horrific Stanley Cup riot, no rioters have been charged for their crimes and questions continue to swirl around the pace of Vancouver’s riot investigation…
Meanwhile back in the UK:
Courts in London and Manchester have opened over the weekend as the number of people charged for riot-related offences reaches more than 1,000…
Furiously to think gives one it.
Looks like the UK police fish is rotting from the head down in the comments from police commissioner Godwin:
He said the public should be “proud” of the way police chiefs had reacted to the rioting. and:
“We were able to nip this in the bud after a few days,” Mr Godwin said. “I think the issue around the numbers, the issue around the tactics – they are all police decisions and they are all made by my police commanders and myself.”
Let me guess; Godwin hasn’t turned in his resignation yet. Looking at the events from this side of the Atlantic, IMO, the response to the rioting was an utter failure.
In typical statist fashion, the UK government wants the power to block blackberries and cell phones in future cases of civil disturbance. What it’s ignoring is that a large fraction of the population has become very aware that there are a limited number of police and they can’t be everywhere at once. Also, in the UK, the only criminal behavior that seems to be punished is if one interferes with a robber during the course of their “work”.
The riots could have been contained far more quickly if the police had resorted to shooting arsonists first and then looters if the number of deaths was insufficient to decrease the number of criminals bold enough to loot shops in broad daylight. Yes, there would be fallout, but much less than one would expect as the Independent newspaper poll, in one of the articles referenced in the initial post, indicated that 84% of the British population thought that the police response was not harsh enough.
Most petty criminals, unlike suicide bombers, have a very strong survival instinct and avoid situations where they might get hurt. That’s one of the reasons there are very few home invasion style robberies in the US as the homeowners are often armed and congratulated by the police in many states for their permanent removal of a criminal.
I’m sure that the impotent police response has been noted by islamofascists who, should they desire to do so in the future, could totally paralyze the UK by staging similar riots.
The question now is not whether the nation of Britain will sink, but rather how much damage outside of its borders will the whirlpool cause as the country sinks into a totally dysfunctional state.
Ford in Toronto would do it . . . just to poke a stick in the eye of “elites”.
Furiously to think gives one it.
WHAT?
For the record, I predicted the non-action in Vancouver. Wasn’t difficult 🙁
Not enough of the rioters in Vancouver have been hugged.
I can’t see Bratton doing much good in England. He knows what has to be done, but probably doesn’t realize British cities have been divided into “no-go” zones,and his idea of cops on the beat won’t work.
We could loan them Romeo Dallaire,I suppose.
“You want the criminal element to fear them,” Mr Bratton said…
Hell, I said that here the other day. Fix bayonets, forward at a walk. Scariest thing on Earth.
They should hire me. I bet I work cheaper than Bratton.
Incidentally, California is still on the cutting edge of all things “progressive”. To wit:
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9P3FGQG0&show_article=1
“…Bay Area Rapid Transit officials’ decision to cut off underground cellphone service for a few hours at several stations Thursday. Commuters at stations from downtown to near the city’s main airport were affected as BART officials sought to tactically thwart a planned protest over the recent fatal shooting of a 45-year-old man by transit police.”
“Shut up!” they explained. When in doubt, censor.
The Brits are still only talking about doing this, San Francisco Transit cops already did it.
“Fix bayonets, forward at a walk. Scariest thing on Earth”
Heh Phantom…I knew it was a drill, with me and others assuming the role of “rioters”. But it was still scarier than hell…
If you get a chance read Steyn’s After America. He just tears the elitists a new one. ET would love his section on Obama and his “diversity consultant” wife. He writes chapter and verse on the death spiral of our society with its disappearing edumacation (sic)standards.
The inroads that the left has made into every facet of our lives is covered with so many sickening examples here in NA and in UK and Europe that the paralysis of the police in Canada and the UK is just a given.
Had a riot occurred in Russia, the dead would litter the streets.
Had a riot occurred in South Korea, the cops would beat the rioters with truncheons.
Riots occur in Vancouver and London and people are still twiddling their thumbs.
There are just no words sometimes.
The Phantom,
As far as I know, BART has no obligation to provide cell service in any of their stations (or on route). In fact, before they installed the cell service, there was no cell service.
Unless things have changed since I last used Skytrain in Vancouver, they have no cell service in their underground stations.
The horror … the horror.
Sarnia Jim: A variation on 1939s Timespeak:
“Where it will all end, knows only God!”
http://books.google.com/books?id=djQDeb2wd7EC&pg=PA474&lpg=PA474&dq=time+%22Where+it+will+all+end+knows+only+God%22&source=bl&ots=KDhdE5soJF&sig=PJSzI7H6kdlE1JufAufKIcw91rQ&hl=en&ei=izxHTtOlA9KtgQeOg_GuBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CEwQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=time%20%22Where%20it%20will%20all%20end%20knows%20only%20God%22&f=false
Mark
Ottawa
Oops: “1930s”
Mark
Ottawa
Cut ’em off!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14474429
Geez, Mark, I just thought you were channeling Yoda tonight.
Resume of a leftwing Politician, the ability to eat hot cat sh*t and lie at the same time. Then quote Oliver Twist. “Could I have some more please Sir”. To the Caledonia enablers and the Van Riot Politicians.
Thank-You Mark.
“As for the Canadian criminal justice system, riot section:
Days away from the two-month anniversary of Vancouver’s horrific Stanley Cup riot, no rioters have been charged for their crimes and questions continue to swirl around the pace of Vancouver’s riot investigation…
Meanwhile back in the UK:
Courts in London and Manchester have opened over the weekend as the number of people charged for riot-related offences reaches more than 1,000…”
Yeah, but they’ll be processed and let out with a slap on the wrist, the UK “justice” system is supine. British cops are sick to death of arresting the same jerks 3-4-5 times on fairly serious charges and yet still have them onthe streets withing, sometimes, days.
Cross post by me from Pat Condell’s thread, “Who Would Be a Police Officer in Britain Today?”: (Begin quote.)
GR8 rant by Pat.
Ditto that for teachers. We get these feral kids long before the police have to deal with them. Are we allowed to exercise our authority, actually spelled out—in our favour—in the Education Acts of this country? No, we are not. And, like the police brass, our exorbitantly paid, politically correct “superiors” are supine. (Swine, IMO. They sit in their cushy offices far from the trenches. They toss roses at the worst offenders and grenades at even their best teachers. It’s disgusting.)
Beastly kids—I’ve dealt with seriously malevolent ten year olds—know that they have all the power. They are willing to lie, and do so regularly: the word of the worst miscreant (and/or their narcissistic, bully parents: the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree) is taken as Gospel against that of the most seasoned, trustworthy, and successful teacher. One well placed lie can ruin a multi-decade career in a nano-second.
I have very definite ideas about how to deal with these kids. It’s called “tough love”: I’ve used it, and it works. However, as the Charter gives “the less powerful” far more “rights” than their victims, what I’d like to see happen—very serious consequences (like boot school) for very serious misdemeanours—would probably be struck down by our courts.
And that’s where the “notwithstanding clause” would be used by a government worth its salt. Do we have such a government somewhere in this country? I’m not sure.
Fantino’s the man…
Well, it appears the UK police are none to happy to have the ex-NYPD Chief there. The comments are stinging:
http://www.canada.com/news/police+hiring+crime+guru/5252972/story.html
The police there, like here, are hamstrung by politicians who always have a steep learning curve so when they finally unlease the hounds – look out.
The UK Home secretary (also called May LOL) claimed initially that Water cannon were not the British way. Her words will haunt her.
I believe fear of crime is healthy – just let the criminals fear doing the crime rather than the victims.
Someone above said Ford would do it in Canada. I disagree. The Toronto police chief is a sleezy politically correct politian in uniform. I will believe in Ford’s conservative credentials when !lair has been fired.
While we are on the subject of Toronto – how many convictions from the G20 riot – police or rioters?
Infinity Squared wrote: “As far as I know, BART has no obligation to provide cell service in any of their stations (or on route). In fact, before they installed the cell service, there was no cell service.
Unless things have changed since I last used Skytrain in Vancouver, they have no cell service in their underground stations.”
Yes, absolutely.
BUT, Bay area Rapid Transit -does- provide cell service, for which service they do get paid. Indeed on a lot of Silicon Valley trains and buses there’s “free” WiFi sponsored by big companies. So if you’re providing a service, cutting it off capriciously “just in case something might happen” is pure Big Brother.
Likewise, cutting off Facebook, Twitter, BB Messenger or whatever is just more stupid Orwellian crap. Shutting off the entire telephone system didn’t help Hosni Mubarak did it? Word gets out anyway, welcome to the wired universe.
See my blog for the next step in bulletproof communication, voluntary ad-hock phone-to-phone clouds. Withing the next five years BART cops won’t be -able- to shut off the web. It’ll keep going all on its own, probably even through jamming.
Moreover, I have to say that having the cops shoot the rioters isn’t going to help jack sh1t-all. The Syrians have killed 1600 guys so far, and its still not helping is it?
IMHO, the one thing they could do to solve the whole friggin’ issue permanently would cost the government not one penny. Simply issue a proclamation that people defending life or property WILL NOT BE CHARGED until further notice, while rioters will arrested and held until the riots cease. One announcement and all the shop keepers and home owners will handle it themselves.
The cause of this rioting is punks finally figuring out nobody will stop them. The solution is punks getting the snot kicked out of them by whoever is closest the first time they try to break a window.
Racist eh? 🙂
“Furiously to think gives one it.”
LOL. Poirot crossed with Yoda!
The message being sent to the vermin in Vancouver is : Do whatever you want, there will be no repercussions. Let’s hope the Canucks don’t make the playoffs next spring.